How to Turn Work Accomplishments into Stories for Your Job Interviews

You’re in the middle of a job interview for a position that you really, really want. You’re nailing all of the interview questions…until your boss-to-be asks you, “Tell me about a time when you helped your company.” The question throws you off, and instead of delivering a polished answer, you stumble and stammer your way through a rocky response. How can you create good stories for your job interviews?

Job seekers should always have a few stories that they can pull out of their pocket during their job search. You may need one to personalize a cover letter, for a blog post on your LinkedIn profile, and yes, especially during job interviews. Turn your past triumphs into great stories that can help you land a job with these tips.

How to Turn Work Accomplishments into Stories for Your Job Interviews

Review your work history.

If you think that you don’t have a story to tell, think again. During each of your jobs, there have been memorable moments. The moments may vary, but you definitely accomplished something that you—and only you—can claim credit for. It may have been something big (you found a way to save yourself and fellow staffers time by implementing a more modern program), or it may have been small (you found a small, but potentially embarrassing typo on your company’s press release). So take the time to reflect on your work history to uncover your successes and write them down. When you have a few on paper, you can determine which are more important—and impressive—than others.

Stick to the facts.

Sure, you uncovered a mistake that helped save your company a lot of money. But it would be wrong to say that due to your keen observations and superior skills, you managed to keep your company afloat and prevent them from going bankrupt. So while you want to paint yourself in the best light possible when you give one of those “tell me about the time” answers, you also need to ensure that your storytelling skills don’t stretch themselves out into outright lies. After all, a potential boss can confirm the validity of your story, and you don’t want to lose a position based on a tall tale.

Make your stories relatable.

You never know what kinds of questions you might be asked during a job interview. So it makes sense that you should have at least 2-3 stories prepared for those just-in-case questions. For example, you should have a story that relates to overall work successes that you’ve had with previous employers. You’ll also need a “working well with others” story, and an answer for the infamous “tell me about yourself” question. So be sure to listen very carefully to what the hiring manager is asking of you before you whip out of one your stories. And be sure to personalize it to the company you’re interested in working for. You’ll need to customize your story in order to find a way to make it relatable for your new employer.

Practice, practice, practice.

It might make you feel awkward to talk about your previous work accomplishments. You might feel like you’re bragging. To get over your shyness, you should practice telling your story a few times. Not only will it help you keep the facts straight in your head, but hearing yourself can help you determine if your story is too long (or too short) or needs more details. And all that practice will pay off when you deliver your story more smoothly during your job interview.

Turning your work accomplishments into stories you can tell during your job search is important for any job seeker. By taking the time to gather stories for your job interviews, you’re ensuring future job search success!

Readers, do you have an arsenal of stories for your job interviews? Let us know in the comments section below!